MONTANA LrCISLATIVT- REPORT 



by 



Peter V. Jackson 



HB 179 lias been signed Into law. This 

 legislation amends the Montana Soil and 

 Water Conservation District Law giving SWCDs 

 the power to borrow money, issue bonds and 

 collect fees for services; raises maximum 

 regular assessments that county commission- 

 ers may levy to IH mills on real property; 

 provides direction for raising additional 

 funds, issuing bonds and for Investment of 

 funds by Soil and Water Conservation Dis- 

 tricts; and provides for methods for cre- 

 ation of project areas and for levying of 

 special assessments up to 3 mills for pro- 

 ject areas. 



Soil and Water Conservation Districts 

 had requested this legislation to better 

 enable a district to finance district op- 

 erations and provide planning assistance, 

 •• well as to set up project areas to 

 build, maintain, and operate projects re- 

 lated to soil, water, or vegetative pur- 

 poses. 



HB 265 was passed and provides that a 

 Bed Control District shall be formed in 

 rery county of the State and include all 

 land within the county. 



SB 164 was passed which sets up a 

 permit system for strip coal mining and 

 reclamation of affected lands, under the 

 adainistration of the Montana Bureau of 

 Mines. The operator's reclamation plan 

 and the commission's approval shall be 

 based upon the advice and technical assis- 

 tance of the State Soil Conservation Comm- 

 ittee, the Fish & Game, the State Forester, 

 and other agencies having experience in 

 reclamation. 



SB 291 passed which provides for 

 additional members to the Council on Nat- 

 ural Resources and Development — and re- 

 quires each member to submit a quarterly 

 report of the programs and activities of 

 his state agency with regard to water pro- 

 blems in the state. This Council is ad- 

 visory to the Governor. 



HB 49 passed, requires that all state 

 agencies submit a biennial report prior 

 to September 1 of each even numbered year. 



EX SB 1 passed provides to submit to 

 qualified voters an amendment to constitu- 

 tion that all executive and administrative 

 offices and agencies, except Governor and 

 Lt. Governor, shall be allocated by law to 

 not more than 20 Departments. 



HB 450 passed provides that unappropri- 

 ated water of certain named streams may be 

 appropriated for fish and wildlife purposes, 

 and that unappropriated water of other stre 

 may be set aside for appropriation by the 

 Fish and Game Commission upon consideration 

 and recommendation of Water Resources Board, 

 Fish and Game Commission, State Soil Conser- 

 vation Committee, and State Board of Health. 



HR 19 passed which asks the Water Re- 

 sources Board to conduct a study of the type 

 of Water Code that would best be suited to 

 Montana and the manner of its implementation. 

 A HB 337 which would have provided for regu- 

 lation and administration of water resources 

 of Montana by Water Resources Board was de- 

 feated. 



HR 18 passed asks the Legislative Council 

 to study the need for regulations in the sale 

 and use of pesticides, etc. 



Many other bills related to Natural Re- 

 sources and Conservation were Introduced, 

 many of which did not meet with approval. 



Appropriation for the State Soil Conser- 

 vation Committee for the 1971 blennlum showed 

 $17,000 for personnel services, $9,300 for 

 operation, and $75,000 for watershed planning 

 for each of the two years. 



Two watershed projects, the Sidney Water 

 Users (Water Resources Board) in Richland 

 County, and the Carbon Hills (Department of 

 Institutions share) in Custer County were 

 funded for $250,000 and $95,000 respectively. 



In the good old days a 



high school took up more space 

 than a parking lot... 



If tombstone? told the truth, 

 everyone would want to be 

 buried at sea. 



The real estate salesman 

 spent all day Sunday showing a 

 young couple model homes. "And 

 here," he said, weary at the 

 11th homo, "is the hobby room. 

 Do you folks have any hobbies?" 



"Oh yes," replied the wife, 

 "we look at model homes on Sun- 

 days . " 



